Safe DNA Gel Stain

Safe DNA Gel Stain is a highly sensitive stain for visualization of DNA or RNA in agarose or acrylamide gels. It is specifically formulated to be a less hazardous alternative to ethidium bromide (EB) that can be used with either blue-light or UV excitation.

Safe DNA Gel Stain is a better nucleic acid staining reagent for all your molecular biology research needs. It is not only environmental friendly but also good for your sample.

Safe DNA Gel Stain is supplied as 10000X concentrate in DMSO and used in the same way as ethidium bromide solution. It is also suitable for staining RNA in gels.

Cloning efficiency of DNA fragments is improved by using Safe DNA Gel Stain and blue-light, compared with using ethidium bromide and UV light exposure.

• Reduce exposure to highly mutagenic EB and harmful UV light.
Safe DNA Gel Stain is less mutagenic and safer for you to work with than ethidium bromide. You can further decrease your exposure risk by using visible blue-light with Safe stain rather than UV. This is especially valuable when performing exposure-intensive protocols like cutting bands out of gels.

• Increase sensitivity by reducing nonspecific background fluorescence.
Safe DNA Gel Stain offers excellent sensitivity in nucleic acid visualization with either UV excitation or blue-light excitation. When bound to nucleic acids, the green-fluorescent Safe stain has fluorescence excitation max at ~280 and ~502 nm, and an emission max at ~530 nm. Plus, when used with blue light, Safe DNA Gel Stain has less background fluorescence than ethidium bromide–stained gels with UV light.

• Alternative to EB for all staining applications, including RNA staining.
Safe DNA Gel Stain is supplied as a concentrate in DMSO which can be used in the same way as ethidium bromide. It can be added into an agarose gel for staining during electrophoresis at a ratio of 1: 10000 or apply it after electrophoresis at a ratio of 1: 3300. Store at room temperature in its original packaging to avoid excessive light exposure.

Note: Safe DNA Gel Stain is less efficient in visualizing low molecule weight bands (100-200 bp).

1. Q: How should the gel stain be handled? Can it be added directly during gel preparation?

A: This product is a 10,000× concentrate dissolved in DMSO. When preparing agarose gels, you can dilute it into the agarose gel buffer (1× TBE or 1× TAE) at 1:10,000, then add agarose powder and heat to dissolve. Alternatively, you can add the dye at 1:10,000 to the molten agarose gel solution before it solidifies. You may also choose to stain post‑electrophoresis by incubating the gel in a Safe DNA staining solution (diluted 1:3,300 in 1× TBE or 1× TAE).

2. Q: When staining with Safe DNA gel stain, which excitation wavelengths can be used for visualization? How should they be selected?

A: Safe DNA gel stain has two major excitation peaks: one in the UV range at 280 nm and one in the visible range at 502 nm. Therefore, 254 nm or 300 nm UV excitation light, as well as a 488 nm laser, a 470 nm LED, and broad-spectrum blue light sources can all effectively excite the dye. It is recommended to use blue light rather than UV to excite Safe DNA gel stain, because blue light minimizes DNA damage, improves cloning efficiency, reduces nonspecific background fluorescence, and lowers exposure risk.

3. Q: Can an EB (ethidium bromide) filter and its corresponding camera settings be used to visualize Safe DNA gel stain?

A: The maximum emission wavelength of Safe DNA gel stain is 530 nm. An EB filter that transmits light above 500 nm, together with the corresponding camera settings, is suitable for Safe DNA gel stain, and usually only minor adjustments to exposure time or illumination are needed. If the EB filter only transmits light at 600 nm or above, it is not suitable for Safe DNA gel stain.

4. Q: Is Safe DNA gel stain experimentally compatible with ethidium bromide (EB) in the same way?

A: Safe DNA gel stain is compatible with all current downstream applications of EB, including excising PCR products from gels, gel purification, cloning, and RNA staining. Safe DNA gel stain is non‑mutagenic and non‑toxic, making it a safer alternative to EB.

5. Q: What precautions should be taken when using Safe DNA gel stain?

A: Safe DNA gel stain is effective only within a narrow pH range of approximately pH 7–8; outside this range, the fluorescence signal will rapidly disappear. In addition, its performance is relatively poor when staining low‑molecular‑weight nucleic acids (100–200 bp), so it is not recommended for such fragments. Avoid reusing the same Safe DNA staining solution for a second gel, as this will greatly reduce its sensitivity.